Christine Keyworth

I love my UPS store. When I come into pick up my mail who ever is working the counter be it Robert, Jennifer, Jessica, Shanti, or Scott each greet me with a warm smile and say Hi. I used to use a Post Office box no one there even noticed me.

One of the many advantages of having a box at the UPS store is you get a real street address, not a PO box number and you know there are companies that will not deliver to a PO box like FedEx. When you have a street address even FedEx will deliver there and there is a smiling UPS clerk to accept the item for you.

I hate it when I come home and find a package at my front door, that has been ruined because of rain. My letter carrier with the Post Office if they got out of the truck to bring it to my door would also leave any letters or magazines on the front porch along with the package. Not good and of course not what they are suppose to do either.

When I used the Post Office boxes if you got a package or letter that had to be signed for you got a yellow ticket in your box and then you had to go stand inline with people who were buying stamps or sending packages. Now with the UPS store there is a Pink tag in your box letting you know you have a package or letter, the customer service rep will help you next even if someone is there to use a UPS service, which they offer many. Some other services you can get at the UPS store beyond mailing are faxing, passport photos, document services, Stationery,Labels and Forms, Rubber Stamps, Invitations and Greeting Cards, Business Cards.

With the UPS store when I am out of town they keep my mail for me including any packages and give it all to me in a nice tidy bag when I show up to collect it.

You have 24 hour access to both the Post Office boxes and the UPS store boxes. The store I use gives you a combination lock code to the front door if you can not get there during business hours just let yourself in and collect your mail.

I highly recommend using the UPS stores for the services they provide.

When it comes to brand building, marketing and social media, these bloggers are the cream of the crop.

Ron Paul, 10.29.09, 09:20 AM EDT
Forbes Magazine dated November 16, 2009

The large-scale government intervention in the economy is going to end badly.

Any number of pundits claim that we have now passed the worst of the recession. Green shoots of recovery are supposedly popping up all around the country, and the economy is expected to resume growing soon at an annual rate of 3% to 4%. Many of these are the same people who insisted that the economy would continue growing last year, even while it was clear that we were already in the beginning stages of a recession.

A false recovery is under way. I am reminded of the outlook in 1930, when the experts were certain that the worst of the Depression was over and that recovery was just around the corner. The economy and stock market seemed to be recovering, and there was optimism that the recession, like many of those before it, would be over in a year or less. Instead, the interventionist policies of Hoover and Roosevelt caused the Depression to worsen, and the Dow Jones industrial average did not recover to 1929 levels until 1954. I fear that our stimulus and bailout programs have already done too much to prevent the economy from recovering in a natural manner and will result in yet another asset bubble.

To read more go here http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1116/opinions-great-depression-economy-on-my-mind.html

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the housing tax credits for first-time buyers. Here are some answers.

NEW YORK (Money) — Question: I bought a home and qualified for the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit. I’m still a bit confused, though, about the payback rules. Can you explain them? –Jessica G., Houston, Texas

Answer: Sure. But first I’d like to remind anyone who’s considering taking advantage of the first-time homebuyer tax credit of up to $8,000 that was part of this year’s stimulus package that time is running out.

Specifically, unless Congress extends the deadline — which I certainly wouldn’t count on — you must complete the purchase of the home by November 30th. Read the rest here -

http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/24/pf/expert/home_buyer_credit.moneymag/index.htm?postversion=2009092405

The recession hit everywhere, but Virginia is booming compared with the rest of America.

In Pictures: Best States For Business

The carnage of the economic downturn is everywhere with bankruptcies, foreclosures and unemployment soaring nationwide. None of the 50 states are immune. Only two, Alaska and North Dakota, are expected to see employment gains this year. Maryland, North Dakota and Virginia (by a hair) are the only states where the economy is projected to expand in 2009. Housing? Every state saw a decline in median home prices last year. Read more here

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/best-states-for-business-beltway-best-states.html

The World Needs You to Do What You Love
The greatest change happens because of people that are deeply passionate, and have a great love for the work they do. If you want to make a difference in the world, the single most important thing you can do is consciously and deliberately choose to do work that you are passionate about.

No other choice can have a greater impact on the planet, or your life.

If you’re doing work that’s boring, you probably won’t make much of an impact. You might provide people with some amount of value. Enough to pay your rent, enough to get by. But you won’t be inciting change. And you certainly won’t be inspiring others.

Go here for the rest of the story:
http://zenhabits.net/2009/09/the-world-needs-you-to-do-what-you-love/

Almost all of America’s wealthiest citizens are poorer this year.

America’s super rich are getting poorer. For only the fifth time since 1982, the collective net worth of The Forbes 400, our annual tally of the nation’s richest people, has declined, falling $300 billion in the past 12 months from $1.57 trillion to $1.27 trillion.

Faltering capital markets and real estate prices, along with divorce and fraud, pushed the fortunes of 314 members down and drove 32 plutocrats off the rankings.

Hurt the most: Warren Buffett, America’s second-richest citizen. The Oracle of Omaha dropped $10 billion from his personal balance sheet as shares of Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK - news - people ) fell 20% in 12 months. He is now worth $40 billion. Read more here

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/29/forbes-400-buffett-gates-ellison-rich-list-09-intro.html

When Social Networking Is Not Working
Some clear-eyed perspective on Web 2.0 tools, care of 28 small-business owners.

Are social networking “tools” good for business or just a giant time suck?

Ian Boyd, creative director of Cosmic Planet, a digital creative studio in San Francisco’s Presidio, said his office calls it “Social Notworking,” because while he believes he needs to use Twitter and Facebook to stay in the mix, he’s never gotten a single customer out of it. Just as important, Boyd says, while he’s spending all that time networking, he’s “not working.” Where Web 2.0 does come in handy, Boyd concedes, is in helping existing clients stay up on his company’s activities. Read more here

http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/26/social-network-linkedin-entrepreneurs-technology-bmighty.html

7 Ways To Recession-Proof Your Life
Are you worried about how a recession might affect you?

Are you worried about how a recession might affect you? You can put your fears to rest because there are many everyday habits the average person can implement to ease the sting of a recession, or even make it so its effects aren’t felt at all. In this article, we’ll discuss seven ways to do just that.
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/recession-proof-your-life.asp

Smart Social Networking For Your Small Business
Some techniques work and some don’t. Here’s a cheat sheet.

Next to mobility and cloud computing, social networking was the talk of Interop this year–especially at a conference session devoted to social software tools and a portion of the Unconference, where real SMB users talked about how to make the most of it.

But perhaps the best thing I learned about social media came in a meeting with security vendor ESET.

Get the rest of the story here
http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/05/social-networking-interop-entrepreneurs-technology-bmighty.html